Crops Water Requirements

• Crop Period or Base Period, Duty & Delta of Crops

• Factors affecting on Duty
• Crops of Pakistan & Cropping Season
• Irrigation Efficiencies
• Consumptive Use of Water or Evapotranspiration
• Net Irrigation Requirements
• Soil-Moisture-Irrigation Relationship
 Crop Water Requirement
For its full and successful growth, every crop requires
proper warmth, proper amount of water, proper
agricultural soil, air and proper methods of cultivation.
The water requirement is different for different crops
and also different type of land is required for various
crops.
From agricultural point of view the soil is classified as,
• 1. Light soil
• 2. Medium or normal soil
• 3. Heavy soil

This classification of soil depends on the clay content. If

the clay contents are more, the more will be the water
retentive power and vice-versa.
• Heavy and retentive soil is suitable for crops like cane,
rice etc. requiring more water, whereas light or sandy
soil is suitable crops like wheat, grain etc. requiring
less water.
• Normal and medium soil i.e. the one having 10 - 20%
dry content is suitable for crops like cotton, maize etc.

• The main crops growing in Pakistan are wheat,

cotton, rice, maize, barley, cane etc
Important Terminologies
Base Period:
It is defined as the time period between the first
watering of a crop at the time of its sowing and
the last watering, before its harvesting.
Crop Period:
It is the time period between the sowing of a crop
and its harvesting.
• Theoretically the crop period is more than the
base period but practically we take it same.
Gross Commanded area of a Canal:
It is the total area in the charge of a canal which
may be cultivated by it.
Gross Command Area of a Water Course
(G.C.A.)
It is the total area in the charge of a water course
which may be cultivated by it.
Culturable Commanded Area (C.C.A.)
It is the difference between the G.C.A and un-
culturable area which is occupied by villages,
roads, buildings and other un-culturable land
like alkaline water logged and barren lands. This
is the area which can be cultivated.
Intensity of Irrigation
Usually a certain percentage of C.C.A. is actually
irrigated annually and the remaining land lies
uncultivated.
The ratio of the actually irrigated area to the
C.C.A. is known as intensity of irrigation.
DUTY & DELTA
The water requirements of crops is determined on
□
the basis of duty and delta concept.
□Each crop requires certain amount of water after
fixed interval of time throughout its period of
growth.
□As the amount of each watering and the interval of
watering and hence the number of watering are
fixed for each crop, the total quantity of water
required by each crop is also fixed and is different
for different crops.
Delta
• The depth of each watering is usually from 2.5
to 4 inches depending on the kind of the crop.
• The total depth of water required by a crop
to come to maturity is called Delta of the crop,
denoted by ∆.
For Example:
depth of each watering for rice = 4 inches
Interval between each watering = 10 days
Crop Period =120 days
Total No. of watering =120/10 =12
Total water required =12 x 4 = 48 = 4 ft.
Total water required for “A” acres of land

(on which Rice is cultivated = A = 4A acre-ft

Duty
• The area that can be irrigated with a continuous
non-stop supply of irrigation water at the rate
of one cumec or cusec throughout the base
period. It is expressed as acre/cusec or
hectare/cumec. It is called Duty of crop.
Water supplied during the crop period of rice
@ of 1Cfs. = 120 (24 x 60 x 60) x 1 = 10368000 ft3
Area of rice land irrigated by this water will be,
A = 10368000/4 = 2592000 ft2

= 60 acres [1 acre = 43560 ft2]

This is the maturing capacity of this 1 Cfs. flow. Therefore

the duty of irrigation water for rice is 60 acres/cusec on
the field, the crop period being 120 days.
●For different crops, duty will be different. The crops for
which water requirement ∆ is less then its duty will be
more and vice versa.
●Duty of water at the head of water course is less than
that an outlet or in the tail end of the canal (on the field)
due to transit losses of water flowing from the head of
water course and reaching the field.. In order to supply
net 1 cusec on the field, therefore, more than 1 Cfs. say
1.1 Cfs. must be admitted at the head of water course.
This duty is called as outlet duty.
It is necessary to state the following along with the duty figures :
• base period, and place of measurement of duty
i-e duty of water for a certain crop is 1700 hectares/cumec at the
field, for a base period of 120 days.
The duty varies with the place of its measurement, because of the
continuous conveyance losses as the water flows. The duty of
water goes on increasing as the water flows.
For example, in the following Figure, let C be the head of the
field, B be the head of the water course or the field channel, and
A be the head of the distributary.
 Let the area of the field be 1700 hectares
Duty and 1 cumec water be required to be
required at point C. Thus, the duty at the
head of the field will be 1700 hec/cumec.
Assuming the conveyance losses between
Main canal DISTIREYTARY B and C to be 0.1 cumec
(say), discharge required at B will be 1.1
A cumecs, and hence duty of water measured
at B will be
1700/1.1=1545 hec/cumec only.
Distributary

Field
B C
Water course
Time Factor

The ratio of the number of days the canal has actually been kept open
to the number of days the canal was designed to remain open during
the base period is known as time factor.

Mathematically,

Time Factor = No. of days the canal practically kept open

No. of days the canal was designed to keep open

For example, a canal was designed to kept open for 15 days, but it was
practically kept open for 10 days for supplying water to the
culturable area, then the time factor is 10/15=.667
Capacity Factor:

It is the ratio of the average discharge to the maximum discharge

(design discharge).
Mathematically,

Capacity factor = Average Discharge

Design Discharge

For example, a canal was designed or the maximum discharge of

50 cumecs, but the average discharge is 40 cumecs, then the
capacity factor is 40/50=0.8
RELATION BETWEEN DUTY & DELTA
• Let
∆ = Total depth of water required by a crop in feet
B = Base period of crop in days
D = Duty of water in acres/cusec.

• By definition of duty
volume of water required per D acre Area for 1 sec = 1 ft3
volume of water required per D acre Area for 1day = 24x60x60 ft3
volume of water required per D acre Area for B days = B86400 ft3
• Area which can be irrigated = D acres
= D 43560ft 2
• By definition of Delta
• Depth of water applied for full growth of crop = Volume
Area
∆ = B 86400 ft3
D 43560ft 2

∆ = 1.98 B /D
FACTORS AFFECTING DUTY
Some of the factors affecting the duty of irrigation water
are:

□Kind of crop
□Season
□Amount of rainfall
□Nature of the soil
□Methods of cultivation.
Example 1:
• The gross commanded area for a distributary is 15000
acre, 80% of which is cultivable. The intensity of
irrigation for Kharif season is 25% and that for Rabi
season is 50%. If the average duty at head of
distributary is 50 acres/Cfs. for Kharif season and 120
acres/Cfs. for Rabi season. Find the discharge required
at the head of distributary.
• Sol:
G.C.A = 15000acres
C.I.A = 15000*0.8 = 12000acres
Area to be irrigated during kharif season= 25%=
0.25*12000=3000acres
Area to be irrigated during rabi season =
50%=0.5*12000 = 6000acres
Discharge for kharif = 3000/50 = 60 cfs
Discharge during rabi = 6000/120=50 cfs
Design discharge for distributary= 60cfs
Example 2:
• The C.C.A. of a water course is 300 acres.
Intensities of sugarcane and wheat crops are
15% and 35% respectively. The duties for these
crops at the head of water course are 60
acres/Cfs. and 100 acres/Cfs. respectively. Find
the discharge required at the head of water
course?
Solution:
C.C.A = 300 acres
FOR SUGAR CANE:
Intensity = 15% Therefore; Area = 0.15 x 300 = 45 acres
Therefore; Discharge = 45/50 = 0.9 cfs
FOR WHEAT:
Intensity = 35% Therefore; Area = 0.35 x 300 = 105
acres
Duty = 130
Discharge = 105/130 = 0.81 cfs Thus;
Total discharge required at the head of water course
= 0.9 + 0.81 = 1.71 cfs
Example 3:
Some crops are irrigated from the water of a reservoir by
means of the canal system. The necessary data about these
crops is given. Assuming 30% of losses of water in the
entire canal system and 15% losses in the reservoir find
the necessary live storage of the reservoir in acre-ft.
Example 3:
Solution:
• Q = area/duty
• volume = Q*crop period

• Total volume to be irrigated= 76100cfs-day

• = 76100 x 24 x 60 x 60= 6.75x109 ft3
6.75x109 ft3 / 43560 = 150942.15 acre-ft

Losses in canal systems = 30%

Total volume in canals =150942.15 x 100/70

=215631.646 acre-ft

And volume of livestorage =100 x 2151631.64/85

= 253684.24 acre-ft
 Example 4:
In a certain area, the transplantation of rice crops takes 15
days and the total depth of irrigation water required by
the crop is 23” on the field. During this transplantation
period the useful rain falling on the land is 3”.
1. Find the duty of irrigation water for this crop on the
head of field during the transplantation period.
2. assuming 25% losses of water in the water course. Find
the duty at the head of water course?
Example 4:
Solution
Total depth of water required by crop = 23”
Rainfall on the land = 3”
Therefore;
Net Depth of water required = 23 – 3 = 20”
Transplantation (Crop period) of rice = 15 days
Therefore;
Water supplied during crop period of 15 days @ 1cfs =
1 x 15 x 24 x 60 x 60 = 1296000 ft3
Area which can be irrigated = 1296000 = 777600ft2
(20/12)
Duty of water at the head of field = 17.8 acres/cfs
• Now assuming 25% losses: Duty at the head of water
course will be
Water supplied @ 1cfs during 15 days
= 1 x 15 x 24 x 3600 x 0.75 = 972000 ft3
Duty will then be =13.4 acres/cfs
 FACTORS AFFECTING THE WATER
REQUIREMENT
Water table:
If the water table is nearer to the ground surface, the water requirement will be less &
vice versa.
Climate:
In hot climate the evaporation loss is more and hence the water requirement will be
more and vice versa.
Ground Slope:
If the slope of the ground is steep the water requirement will be more due to less
absorption time for the soil.
Intensity of Irrigation:
It is directly related to water requirement, the more the intensity greater will be the
water required for a particular crop.
Type of Soil:
In sandy soil water percolates easily so water required is more. While in clayey soils
water requirement is less.
Method of Application of water:
In sprinkler method less water is required as it just moist the soil like rainwater whereas
in flood more water is required.
Method of Ploughing:
In deep ploughing less water is required and vice versa.
 Evapotranspiration
It is the quantity of water used by the vegetation
growth of a given area.
Mathematically,
Consumptive Use = Evapotranspiration = Evaporation +
transpiration
It is expressed in terms of depth of water.
It is the quantity of water transpirated by plants during
their growth, retained by the plant tissue, plus the
water evaporated from the surface of soil and the
vegetation.
FACTORS AFFECTIING THE CONSUMPTIVE USE
OF WATER

Consumptive use varies with,

• Evaporation which depends on humidity.
• Mean Monthly temperature.
• Growing season of crops and cropping pattern.
• Monthly precipitation in area.
• Wind velocity in locality.
• Soil and topography.
• Irrigation practices and method of irrigation.
• Sun light hours.
 TYPES OF CONSUMPTIVE USE
Optimum Consumptive Use:
It is the consumptive use which produces a maximum crop
yield.

Potential Consumptive Use:

If sufficient moisture is always available to completely meet
the needs of vegetation fully covering the entire area then
resulting evapotranspiration is known as Potential
Consumptive Use.

Seasonal Consumptive Use:

The total amount of water used in the evapotranspiration by a
cropped area during the entire growing season.
METHODS OF ESTIMATION OF CONSUMPTIVE USE:
Direct Methods:
In this method field observations are made and physical model is
used for this purpose.
1. Vapour Transfer Method/Soil Moisture Studies
2. Field Plot Method
3. Tanks and Lysimeter
4. Integration Method/Summation Method
5. Irrigation Method
6. Inflow Outflow Method
Vapour Transfer Method/Soil Moisture
Studies
• In this method, soil moisture measurements
are taken before and after each irrigation. The
quantity of water extracted per day from soil
is computed for each period. This method is
suitable in those areas where soil is fairly
uniform and ground water is deep enough so
that it does not affect the fluctuations in the
soil moisture within the root zone of the soil.
 Field Plot Method
We select a representative plot of area and the
accuracy depends upon the representativeness of
plot (cropping intensity, exposure etc). It replicates
the conditions of an actual sample field (field plot).
There should be less seepage.
Inflow + Rain - Outflow = Evapotranspiration
The drawback in this method is that lateral
movement of water takes place although more
representative to field condition. Also some
correction has to be applied for deep percolation as
it cannot be ascertained in the field.
 Tanks and Lysimeter
In this method, a watertight tank of cylindrical shape having diameter
2m and depth about 3m is placed vertically on the ground. The tank is
filled with sample of soil. The bottom of the tank consists of a sand
layer and a pan for collecting the surplus water. The plants grown in
the Lysimeter should be the same as in the surrounding field. The
consumptive use of water is estimated by measuring the amount of
water required for the satisfactory growth of the plants within the
tanks. Consumptive use of water is given by,
Cu=Wa-Wd
Where,
Cu=Consuptive use of water
Wa=Water Applied
Wd=Water drained off
Lysimeter studies are time consuming and expensive. Methods 1 and 2
are the more reliable methods as compare to this method.
 Integration Method/Summation
Method
In this method, it is necessary to know the division of total area, i.e.
under irrigated crops, natural native vegetation area, water surface
area and bare land area.
In this method, annual consumptive use for the whole area is found in
terms of volume. It is expressed in Acre feet or Hectare meter.
Mathematically,
Total Evapotranspiration=Total consumptive use × Total Area

Annual Consumptive Use=Total Evapotranspiration=A+B+C+D Where,

A=Unit consumptive use for each crop × its area
B=Unit consumptive use of native vegetation ×its area
C=Water surface evaporation × its area
D=Bare land evaporation × its area
 Irrigation Method
In this method, unit consumption is multiplied
by some factor. The multiplication values
depend upon the type of crops in certain area.
This method requires an Engineer judgment as
these factors are to be investigated by the
Engineers of certain area.
 Inflow Outflow Method
In this method annual consumptive use is found for large areas. If U is
the valley consumptive use its value is given by,

U = (I+P) + (Gs – Ge) – R

Where,
U = Valley consumptive use (in acre feet or hectare meter) I = Total
inflow during a year
P = Yearly precipitation on valley floor
Gs = Ground Storage at the beginning of the year
Ge = Ground Storage at the end of the year
R = Yearly Outflow

All the above volumes are measured in acre-feet or hectare-meter.

METHODS OF ESTIMATION OF CONSUMPTIVE USE:
Empirical Methods:
Empirical equations are given for the estimation of water requirement. These are,
(i) Lowry Johnson Method:
The equation for this method is,
U = 0.0015 H + 0.9 (Over specified)
U= Consumptive Use
H = Accumulated degree days during the growing season computed from maximum
temperature above 32 °F

(ii) Penman Equation:

According to this method,
U = ET = ∆H+0.27 Ea∆- 0.27
ET = Evapotranspiration or consumptive use in mm Ea = Evaporation (mm/day)
H = Daily head budget at surface (mm/day)
H is a function of radiation, sunshine hours, wind speed, vapour pressure and other
climatic factors.
Δ = Slope of saturated vapour pressure curve of air at absolute temperature in °F
(iii) Hargreave’s Method:

It is a very simple method. According to this method,

Cu=K*Ep
Where,
Cu = Consumptive Use coefficient (varies from crop to crop)
Ep = Evapotranspiration
K = Coefficient
 IRRIGATION EFFICIENCY:
The ratio of the amount of water available (output) to the amount of water
supplied (input) is known as Irrigation Efficiency.
It is expressed in percentage.

1. Water Conveyance Efficiency: (ηc)

It is the ratio of the amount of water applied to the land to the amount of water
supplied from the reservoir. It is obtained by the expression,
𝑾𝒍
η c= x 100
𝑾𝒓

Where,
η c = Water conveyance efficiency
Wl = Amount of water applied to land
Wr = Amount of water supplied from reservoir
 2. Water Application Efficiency:(ηa)
It is the ratio of the water stored in root zone of plants to the water applied to
the land. It is obtained by the expression,
𝑾𝒛
η a= x 100
𝑾𝒍

Where,
ηa= Water application efficiency
Wz = Amount of water stored in root zone
Wl= Amount of water applied to land

3. Water Use Efficiency:(ηu)

It is the ratio of the amount of water used to the amount of water applied. It is
obtained by the expression,
𝑾𝒖
η u= x 100
𝑾𝒍

Where,
ηu= Water use efficiency
Wu = Amount of water used
Wl = Amount of water applied to land
4. Consumptive use Efficiency:(ηcu)
It is the ratio of the amount of water depleted from the root
zone to consumptive use of water. It is obtained by the
expression,
𝑪𝒑
η cu = x 100
𝑾𝒄

Where,
ηcu =Consumptive use efficiency
Cu = Consumptive use of water
Wp = Amount of water depleted from root zone